Back in February I shared my very first Starcraft 2 map here on sc2mapster (http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/colony-m-35/). Although quite a few people played it, only a couple of people have offered me their feedback and have done so via PM. As grateful as I am to them, I am interested in hearing from even more people. :)
So, if you've played Colony M-35, please post your impressions here!
What did you like about the map? What didn't you like? Was the story interesting, ok, cliche, boring, etc? Was the gameplay interesting enough, or was it too monotonous? Characters? Music choice? Cutscenes? Anything you can think of, feel free to share your thoughts here. :)
Hey great map. I really enjoyed the gameplay and story.
Here is my critiques:
1) Lots of characters introduce in the beginning with funky names but great intro. The names of the characters should be just names not nicknames. The nicknames are kinda cheesy.
2) Fun playing with the weapons but gets a little dull in the first 10 minutes. I think attack waves that happen in the first 10 minutes and throughout the entire map would make it way more dynamic and action packed.
3) I can walk through the rocks in the 1st mining camp
4) I noticed the medic's energy does not drain energy.
5) Clear out completed objectives. It gets clutttered.
6) Get rid of supply, mins and gas
7) Yes, the lurker makes a cameo!!
8) The Ultra thing with the bridge and the camera shots were awesome
9) Cameras get choppy for the scene with Nasanna...might be on my end.
10) I think you got two maps here...maybe even three. It is way too long of a map.
Clocked in at 1 hour.
11) Xamar was very easy to defeat, but great scene. Heroes are so OP but love their abilities.
12) Never found a use for Triage's Levitation.
Overall, great map and really enjoyed the awesome work on the terrain. Is it possible to put on the custom
campaign page? Perhaps its own Single Mission Story Section.
I hate those acid guys. Eightball ate a ton of them acid balls. :)
One issue though, the cave winds around too much and there isn't much paths to choose from. I know, I know, it's a mining tunnel, but since there were bases inside those tunnels, I suppose adding more choices rather than long winding paths would be nice.
But that's just me. I don't know.
I didn't get far past the second mining base. Micro isn't my forte. :D
I usually don't comment on projects where it feels like I am going to say more negative than positive, but this has potential, so I'll make an exception.
It starts out very well. I usually hate intro texts, because it feels like it's violating the "show, don't tell" principle, but yours was simple and straight to the point (not to mention well-formated, which sadly is not always a given). I'd add a custom help tip, though, as leaving it empty makes it run the default ones.
I loved the intro. We quickly learn what kind of characters we are dealing with: simple, unpretentious, down-to-earth guys (and a girl) who gets the job done. I was happy to discover their mini-bios, though! The mission could have used more of its principal characters. I'd suggest adding some idle dialogue. In these kind of micro missions, they fit very well, and help break up some of the silence.
One tip: Use the trigger "global cinematic settings" in cinematics, as it removes the black mask (a gameplay feature that simply doesn't fit in cinematics, as they break the illusion that you are not in a game).
I will admit to laughing a bit at "rank: pyromaniac". I like your humor! :)
The gameplay had a promising start, with lots of different hero types. I do think there was a tad too many abilites, and too little variation (except for Triage's, they were always of the offensive, direct-damage-dealing kind). The arcade is cluttered with custom games with heroes with custom abilites, and I personally feel it's a bit of an overkill. I actually made a point of this in Crimson Moon by giving the heroes next-to-no abilities. In retrospect, that was a bit of a mistake, as there can just as well be too few abilities as there can be too many.
Another problem is that the abilities are are scattered across multiple units. That worked (sort of) in Belly of the Beast because each hero had just one each, but even there it was a bit annoying, as you always had to switch between the different characters. The HOTS-style, where all the abilites are located within one hero, is optimal, I think.
But that's just my long-winded opinion. I didn't hate the abilites, of course. They were cool and fun to use. I'd think like this, though: if you were forced to cut down, which ones couldn't you do without? That's the ones you keep.
As I explored the cave, I realized that I liked the atmosphere, but that I also missed some variation. Your mission is quite long, and I suppose this helps to explain why mine usually are not: my terrain is a bit more detailed, which takes more time, but which ultimately ends up being more engaging. I would also simply use the fog feature in the data editor to create deep depths. Using the lower tool doesn't look that good, in my opinion, as the terrain ends up looking too stretched.
I also noticed some bugs as well: if you try to put the automated turret in the wrong spot, an SCV will say, "I can't build there". In addition, you can walk down into the blast craters! The worst bug was also the strangest, though. As you can see in the pictures below, the sight of the units only extended to the left, not right. At one point, they were walking inside the fog of war (see the second picture).
I loved the puzzle aspect of the mission, like when we had to find the generator. Felt like some old school N64 platform game.
I did not like Triage's healing, though. Faaaaar too slow. At several points, I ended up going out of the game and browsing on the internet while waiting for her. She even continued into some of the cinematics, until my patience for hearing that awfully irritating sound almost began to run out. Either make her heal faster, or add some kind of adjustment where the characters get some kind of fast heal when out of battle (in case you fear fast healing being too OP).
Look, this thing has potential. If you brush up the terrain, fix the bugs, and make it less long-winded, it could be very good. I loved the final part when we came into the lab, and the whole idea of the thing is really cool. You have the story, the characters, and the abilities, so you're well on your way. I'd suggest replaying and studying Belly of the Beast while trying to figure out why that mission works so well.
I hope you didn't find my post too negative. Keep up the good work!
Initial thoughts:
- A squad sent to look for miners that have gone missing? You sir know how to start a campaign! ;)
- Loved the intro. Especially that camera effect at the end.
- Loving the hero retextures.
- 10 abilities and the needed 5 control groups right off the bat is way too much. I wouldn't necessarily get rid of them all as Eivindl suggests, but maybe start off with 3 or 4 and introduce new ones as the campaign goes along. This is a massive map though, so I guess we do need something to entertain us. :P
- The lore nut in me wonders what Ursadon are doing here.
- Objective list got quite a bit long there. Probably good idea to remove the completed ones.
- Like Eivindl, I also alt-tabbed to wait for my heroes to heal up.
- Really long mission, but overall good atmosphere and writing.
I agree with some of the feedback above. Personally, I had no problem with multiple heroes with multiple abilities; I rather liked it actually, though maybe this gets too challenging for other players (#humblebrag). You provided an ample amount of easy enemy waves to mess around and learn before things get more challenging, which is why I think it works just fine. The mission can be completed without having to tab through and use everything super-effectively anyway.
I also have no issue with the length considering this is not advertised as a campaign. If you do have plans to make this into a campaign, I think you could make this into 2 or even 3 missions if you change/add some content to flesh them out into two separate maps for sure!
Some of the cliff edges tripped me up - I think EivindL has a good idea with using fog to emphasize the canyons more. Overall, a really good, fun map with a lot of potential if you ever want to make it into a larger series!
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Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Hi guys! First of all I would like to thank everyone for their feedback, it was extremely useful and constructive. Based on what you said, I have made a number of updates and version 2.0 of Colony M-35 is available on the project page: http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/colony-m-35/ which is where you will also find the full list of changes.
So, if you've got nothing better to do, why not check out the latest version of this map. ;)
As before, I appreciate all feedback you're willing to share.
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Hi there!
Back in February I shared my very first Starcraft 2 map here on sc2mapster (http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/colony-m-35/). Although quite a few people played it, only a couple of people have offered me their feedback and have done so via PM. As grateful as I am to them, I am interested in hearing from even more people. :)
So, if you've played Colony M-35, please post your impressions here! What did you like about the map? What didn't you like? Was the story interesting, ok, cliche, boring, etc? Was the gameplay interesting enough, or was it too monotonous? Characters? Music choice? Cutscenes? Anything you can think of, feel free to share your thoughts here. :)
Hey great map. I really enjoyed the gameplay and story.
Here is my critiques:
1) Lots of characters introduce in the beginning with funky names but great intro. The names of the characters should be just names not nicknames. The nicknames are kinda cheesy.
2) Fun playing with the weapons but gets a little dull in the first 10 minutes. I think attack waves that happen in the first 10 minutes and throughout the entire map would make it way more dynamic and action packed.
3) I can walk through the rocks in the 1st mining camp
4) I noticed the medic's energy does not drain energy.
5) Clear out completed objectives. It gets clutttered.
6) Get rid of supply, mins and gas
7) Yes, the lurker makes a cameo!!
8) The Ultra thing with the bridge and the camera shots were awesome
9) Cameras get choppy for the scene with Nasanna...might be on my end.
10) I think you got two maps here...maybe even three. It is way too long of a map. Clocked in at 1 hour.
11) Xamar was very easy to defeat, but great scene. Heroes are so OP but love their abilities.
12) Never found a use for Triage's Levitation.
Overall, great map and really enjoyed the awesome work on the terrain. Is it possible to put on the custom campaign page? Perhaps its own Single Mission Story Section.
Tried it, it's good. Keep it up igyman!
I hate those acid guys. Eightball ate a ton of them acid balls. :)
One issue though, the cave winds around too much and there isn't much paths to choose from. I know, I know, it's a mining tunnel, but since there were bases inside those tunnels, I suppose adding more choices rather than long winding paths would be nice.
But that's just me. I don't know.
I didn't get far past the second mining base. Micro isn't my forte. :D
Whatever you do, wholeheartedly, moment by heartfelt moment, becomes a tool for the expression of your very soul.
I usually don't comment on projects where it feels like I am going to say more negative than positive, but this has potential, so I'll make an exception.
It starts out very well. I usually hate intro texts, because it feels like it's violating the "show, don't tell" principle, but yours was simple and straight to the point (not to mention well-formated, which sadly is not always a given). I'd add a custom help tip, though, as leaving it empty makes it run the default ones.
I loved the intro. We quickly learn what kind of characters we are dealing with: simple, unpretentious, down-to-earth guys (and a girl) who gets the job done. I was happy to discover their mini-bios, though! The mission could have used more of its principal characters. I'd suggest adding some idle dialogue. In these kind of micro missions, they fit very well, and help break up some of the silence.
One tip: Use the trigger "global cinematic settings" in cinematics, as it removes the black mask (a gameplay feature that simply doesn't fit in cinematics, as they break the illusion that you are not in a game).
I will admit to laughing a bit at "rank: pyromaniac". I like your humor! :)
The gameplay had a promising start, with lots of different hero types. I do think there was a tad too many abilites, and too little variation (except for Triage's, they were always of the offensive, direct-damage-dealing kind). The arcade is cluttered with custom games with heroes with custom abilites, and I personally feel it's a bit of an overkill. I actually made a point of this in Crimson Moon by giving the heroes next-to-no abilities. In retrospect, that was a bit of a mistake, as there can just as well be too few abilities as there can be too many.
Another problem is that the abilities are are scattered across multiple units. That worked (sort of) in Belly of the Beast because each hero had just one each, but even there it was a bit annoying, as you always had to switch between the different characters. The HOTS-style, where all the abilites are located within one hero, is optimal, I think.
But that's just my long-winded opinion. I didn't hate the abilites, of course. They were cool and fun to use. I'd think like this, though: if you were forced to cut down, which ones couldn't you do without? That's the ones you keep.
As I explored the cave, I realized that I liked the atmosphere, but that I also missed some variation. Your mission is quite long, and I suppose this helps to explain why mine usually are not: my terrain is a bit more detailed, which takes more time, but which ultimately ends up being more engaging. I would also simply use the fog feature in the data editor to create deep depths. Using the lower tool doesn't look that good, in my opinion, as the terrain ends up looking too stretched.
I also noticed some bugs as well: if you try to put the automated turret in the wrong spot, an SCV will say, "I can't build there". In addition, you can walk down into the blast craters! The worst bug was also the strangest, though. As you can see in the pictures below, the sight of the units only extended to the left, not right. At one point, they were walking inside the fog of war (see the second picture).
I loved the puzzle aspect of the mission, like when we had to find the generator. Felt like some old school N64 platform game.
I did not like Triage's healing, though. Faaaaar too slow. At several points, I ended up going out of the game and browsing on the internet while waiting for her. She even continued into some of the cinematics, until my patience for hearing that awfully irritating sound almost began to run out. Either make her heal faster, or add some kind of adjustment where the characters get some kind of fast heal when out of battle (in case you fear fast healing being too OP).
Look, this thing has potential. If you brush up the terrain, fix the bugs, and make it less long-winded, it could be very good. I loved the final part when we came into the lab, and the whole idea of the thing is really cool. You have the story, the characters, and the abilities, so you're well on your way. I'd suggest replaying and studying Belly of the Beast while trying to figure out why that mission works so well.
I hope you didn't find my post too negative. Keep up the good work!
Check this out guys, is really good, i already send feedback months ago, the story and the terraining are for sure good
Initial thoughts:
- A squad sent to look for miners that have gone missing? You sir know how to start a campaign! ;)
- Loved the intro. Especially that camera effect at the end.
- Loving the hero retextures.
- 10 abilities and the needed 5 control groups right off the bat is way too much. I wouldn't necessarily get rid of them all as Eivindl suggests, but maybe start off with 3 or 4 and introduce new ones as the campaign goes along. This is a massive map though, so I guess we do need something to entertain us. :P
- The lore nut in me wonders what Ursadon are doing here.
- Objective list got quite a bit long there. Probably good idea to remove the completed ones.
- Like Eivindl, I also alt-tabbed to wait for my heroes to heal up.
- Really long mission, but overall good atmosphere and writing.
I agree with some of the feedback above. Personally, I had no problem with multiple heroes with multiple abilities; I rather liked it actually, though maybe this gets too challenging for other players (#humblebrag). You provided an ample amount of easy enemy waves to mess around and learn before things get more challenging, which is why I think it works just fine. The mission can be completed without having to tab through and use everything super-effectively anyway.
I also have no issue with the length considering this is not advertised as a campaign. If you do have plans to make this into a campaign, I think you could make this into 2 or even 3 missions if you change/add some content to flesh them out into two separate maps for sure!
Some of the cliff edges tripped me up - I think EivindL has a good idea with using fog to emphasize the canyons more. Overall, a really good, fun map with a lot of potential if you ever want to make it into a larger series!
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Hi guys! First of all I would like to thank everyone for their feedback, it was extremely useful and constructive. Based on what you said, I have made a number of updates and version 2.0 of Colony M-35 is available on the project page: http://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/colony-m-35/ which is where you will also find the full list of changes.
So, if you've got nothing better to do, why not check out the latest version of this map. ;)
As before, I appreciate all feedback you're willing to share.